Schedule Focus!

Focus is not something that you are born with; Focus is an attribute you have to Cultivate & Gain! @ Mahendra Kapady.

This is the true incidence happened few weeks before.

My friend came to my house, he came into my room and saw the collection of books. While I was arranging the snacks for him, he got too much involved in fiddling with the books. He was browsing through the titles. After a while, he asked me for one book and assured that he would return it within one month, I asked him – are you reading any book currently, he said No. I asked how long you haven’t read any book. He said it must be years since he left the college. I said bluntly I am sure you are not going to read it. He said no, I would, I guarantee. And he insisted for the book. I said okay but with a condition. I said you have to give me 500 Rs. He said do you want me to pay for this book? I said nope, the book is quite cheaper in price (but priceless with ideas), I am asking that amount for a reason and lesson for you. He gave me 500 Rs & asked me what’s the lesson? I said not now. This is not the right time! I would share with you at the right time! He left my house after the dinner.

Then after 1 week, I asked him about his whereabouts & inquired how’s the book? He said- I have read first 7-8 pages and I am quite busy but I am going to complete it. Then after 3 weeks I called him for some help and after the conversation, I asked him about the progress of the book. He said – hey, I am quite busy I am not getting time to read. This time I said quite bluntly – hey, you know you are not busy! actually you do not want to read that book. We share quite good bond that We often exchange quite straight language as a feedback. He said you are not completely right but its fact that I didn’t read the book completely and dropped in between because I have a problem. Can I share with you? I said go ahead. He said I can’t Focus! I either get lost, feel sleepy or start doing something else after every 5-7 mins and I lose the involvement in the book! That’s why I couldn’t complete. I said to him “that’s the reason I took 500 Rs from him 3 weeks prior”. I continued – now you can come back and return that book and take your 500 Rs. He got speechless and said you are weird. I said that’s okay, I receive that and he hasn’t collected those 500 Rs from me. I am sure he has got his lesson. and we would discuss about his challenge (which is very common) in next part of this post.

Too many people say – “you are gifted, we are not like you!” To which is I completely disagree. People say – “I can’t focus.” Getting focused and read/work is impossible for me. How can I get focus? How do you read for 2 hours a day? How do you Write for hours & hours? You are so gifted with Focus. How do you do that?

I have strong suggestion to them – No one is born with Focus! You don’t get focus by hereditary or as a gift or through any Fast-track approach. Focus is more of Skill. Focus is something you have to Gain, Cultivate in you like a skill!

One of the way to achieve focus is schedule Focus! You have to schedule Your Focus! In that context you have to define Your Locus of Focus and make sure no one enters in that locus when you are onto something worthy. One way to gain focus is to step away from the chaos. Another way is to get into flow state or by practicing solitude, getting in touch with your innerself without any interruption!

Schedule the time to focus!At this time, no one should approach to you unless it’s very very important. You have to be in solitude in this time. No one but only you!

Your Urgency is Only Your Work!Make your work as top class , 100% priority.

Everything is Not an Urgency– You have to understand what is really urgent or expected by someone as urgent or immediate. By the way a Call, what’s App message, an email, a notification does not fall under the category of Urgency. It’s a 21st century urgency. We always have an urgency to unnecessary addiction.

No Buzzing Around – Define a block of time when there won’t be any buzz or radio waves. No Smartphone, No Tv, No IPod, No discussion with family. Just you and you Art! Think of your work, your activity as your art and offer your everything into it. Cellphone should not be on silent mode but it should be at least 30-50 feet away from your eyesight.

Kill The Blinking Light – Turn off the notifications! And schedule 2-3 time slots of 10-15 mins in a day to visit the social media if socializing is that necessary for you and part of your earnings or Job. Turn that blinking light off! The blink is the main reason you can’t focus! Be in solitude! That’s the ultimate way to gain focus.

Eliminate Multitasking– I was an expert multi-tasker. Used to 3-4 things at time but after a long while I understood there is no thing as Multitasking. When you switch between things you cannot offer 100% to anyone. So, it’s actually task switching you do every minute which results in either poor or incomplete output for all activities you performed simultaneously. Multitasking widens the spectrum of distraction and stress. Thus resulting in lowering the standard of Focus.

We all complain about activities are not getting done. The problem is we are not scheduling the activities which are important to us and even though very few schedule them but they do not schedule the focus to complete those activities.

The work of mediocrity is a result of continuous distraction and the work equivalent to art demands Focus. See your work as your art and complete it with ultimate focus!

In order to be somebody, You have to schedule the Focus!Extraordinary people are the ordinary people with Extra Focus!